Mercer (Comic Series)
Mercer is a main character first encountered in Issue 177 of Image Comics' The Walking Dead. He is an officer of the Commonwealth and the leader of the Commonwealth Military. Several years after Rick Grimes' death, Mercer and Juanita are still a couple living happily at the Commonwealth. Pre-Apocalypse Location Unknown Little is known about Mercer's life prior to or as the outbreak began, other than he served in the U.S. Military as a Marine and was on leave before the apocalypse started. Post-Apocalypse At some point in the apocalypse, Mercer encountered a network of communities called the Commonwealth which he subsequently joined; due to his military background, he was placed in the Commonwealth Army and rising to the position of Chief Officer. He also was appointed by Pamela Milton as a personal bodyguard for her and her son Sebastian. New World Order Mercer is watching over Sebastian who is on a date with Kayla. Once walkers got too close to them, Mercer saves them, only for Kayla to call Mercer a pervert and walk back to the Commonwealth; Sebastian then yells at Mercer for ruining his date. Mercer is later talked down to by Pamela and ordered to change, promising they will discuss it later after talking with a new group of survivors from a settlement called Alexandria. In the officer's locker room, Mercer is talking to George about his frustration over how both Pamela and Sebastian belittle him and do not show him the proper respect; when George suggests they overthrow Pamela, Mercer voices his agreement to the plan. However, a member of the Alexandrian group named Siddiq overhears them. Both Mercer and George see through Siddiq's weak attempts to convince them otherwise, but Mercer keeps George from attacking the man. Seeing him as a visitor to the Commonwealth, Mercer brushes the previous statements off as nothing but them blowing off steam and expresses gratefulness to how Pamela took them in. However, he does caution Siddiq that if he ever meets Sebastian, what they said about him being an asshole IS true. Mercer later sees Sebastian push several members of the Alexandrian party and slap Elodie. He goes to disarm Juanita after she gets into a fight with a few officers, but does nothing when Sebastian orders the survivors banished for threatening him. Mercer sarcastically asks if that includes everyone who was watching, pointing out Sebastian provoked them first. After Mercer admonishes Sebastian for going around slapping people for no reason, the latter slaps Mercer as well; this angers Mercer, who throws a menacing glare at Sebastian and causes him to quickly back down. Pamela later requests Mercer to accompany her for the trip to Alexandria. While traveling, he is asked by Pamela on what he thinks about the group of survivors; Mercer remains apprehensive but does notice how useful Eugene could be. Mercer remains close to Pamela as she formally gets introduced to Rick Grimes, the leader of Alexandria. When Rick volunteers to give Pamela a tour of the community, Mercer goes along with her. The Rotten Core During the tour of the nearby communities, they soon encounter a herd and Mercer reluctantly agrees to help drive the herd away; as Juanita expresses some worry, Mercer tells her to stay close to him. At the same time Juanita informs Mercer about Pamela's wagon moving closer to observe the herd, several walkers immediately surround Juanita and knock her off her horse; Mercer immediately goes back to save her. After the Militia arrive to clear up the stragglers, Mercer is caught by surprise when Juanita kisses him in gratitude for saving her. After Pamela expresses amazement, Mercer looks for an apology for needlessly putting both Juanita and himself in danger; Pamela gives a halfhearted one and walks away, causing Mercer to scowl at her. En route to the Hilltop, Mercer asks Rick if the road they are travelling on connecting all the communities is safe. Mercer goes on to partly explains the class system in the Commonwealth, along with how he used to serve in the military as a Marine. He inquires if they follow a similar method of assigning specific tasks and is surprised when Rick responds in the negative. When Rick goes on to describe how no one is bound to their previous roles and everyone contributes in Alexandria (as well as everyone in their trading network), Mercer ponders it without giving a response. When they arrive back at the Commonwealth, Mercer is stunned to see it in the middle of a riot and goes to help disperse the mob. When Rick goes to help clean up the Commonwealth, Mercer is surprised and glad to see he managed to convince Pamela to help as well. Later, Mercer and Juanita have sex and when prompted, he says what they have is more than just a casual one. He later helps bring Dwight to a cell after he assaults a fellow officer and stands watch when Rick visits him. He overhears them discuss how the class system in the Commonwealth is wrong and needs to be improved; silently agreeing with them, Mercer reveals himself and tells Rick that he, not Pamela, is the leader the Commonwealth really needs. After a mock hunting trip led by Pamela (who barely participates), Mercer reiterates to both Dwight and Rick how it is all for show. Dwight agrees that change is needed for the Commonwealth, while Rick is still uncertain. Rest In Peace After Dwight is killed due to Pamela's actions (and the resulting speech by both her and Rick), Mercer scowls at how Rick is still siding with Pamela. He goes home and is shocked to see Juanita packing. After hearing how she does not do well with confrontations, Mercer is saddened but understands her reasons. Venting his overall frustrations while killing some walkers, he is approached by Laura with a request to revolt against Pamela and install a new leader. Liking the idea, Mercer proposes it to George and the other officers later that day; however, Lance overhears him and expresses his dismay at Mercer. Looking for support, Mercer is shocked to see none of the other soldiers side with him and is promptly arrested. Mercer is later visited by Pamela who expresses disappointment with Mercer's line of action and questions his loyalty. Having had enough, Mercer finally unloads on Pamela, furiously pointing out how both her and her son treat him essentially like a whipping boy and a slave. He mentions how she is not a leader, but a wannabe queen that does not care about the lives of anyone except her own and he wasn't going to wait until she tried appointing her "shit-for-brains son" as her successor. When Laura comes and visits him, Mercer sarcastically greets her but is confused to see her smirking. Suddenly, the back of his cell explodes and Mercer is showered with rubble and debris. He is glad to see George is there too and accepts his explanation for not siding with him earlier. Having his men seize Lance, Mercer begins scouring the area for Pamela. However, a mob of Commonwealth citizens appear and call Mercer a tyrant and fascist. After shooting in the air to disperse the crowd, Mercer spots Rick approaching. Finally breaking down, Mercer sees that he will not be seen as a benevolent leader but the Commonwealth might choose Rick instead. He reveals that Pamela is only nice to those she views as being part of the elite class and everyone else as expendable, while Rick sees the value in everyone. After hearing Rick reluctantly refuse the offer (stating the Commonwealth needs more time to know him) Mercer says that is a luxury they do not have. Rick offers to get Pamela and since Mercer has not killed anyone, there is still time; just then, Eugene and Stephanie inform them of a rapidly approaching herd. Mercer is alarmed to hear Pamela pulled back the outer guards for her protection and goes to mobilize the soldiers. After the soldiers (along with the Militia) save the Commonwealth and clear out the herd, Mercer sees Pamela approaching with an army of her own from Greenville and hears her order for the army to attack. Before both groups start fighting, Rick yells for them to stop and once again asks them to talk. Miraculously, neither group fires a shot, much to Pamela's frustration. Rick explains to her that her army is being reasonable, and implores her to follow that policy once more, unless she wants to fight on her own. Rick goes on to deliver a speech to those present. After the speech, Mercer arrests Pamela, much to everyone's shock. Mercer tells Pamela that he is taking her into custody for her own safety. Furious, Sebastian protests that they can't arrest his mother and that they need them to keep the Commonwealth running, but Pamela tells him to be quiet, unless he wants to end up in a cell next to her. As everyone cleans the streets. Mercer commends Rick, noting how even the upper classes are helping with the cleanup. As Rick releases Pamela for jail, Mercer arrives and tells Pamela that a couple of guards will escort her to her home. As she leaves, Mercer asks Rick if he is sure about letting her go, but Rick is confident she poses no threat, since no one in the Commonwealth actually wants her in charge. Rick, in turn, asks Mercer if he thinks Pamela will be safe, but Mercer tells him the people are so happy he doubts that anything will happen to her, but has posted guards outside her house just in case. In the middle of the night, Rick Grimes is assassinated by the kid the Mercer once guarded, Sebastian Milton. After Carl finds his undead father he shoots him causing Commonwealth citizens to call for a couple of guards. Carl remains motionless on the floor as guards discover Rick's body and fetch Mercer, who immediately recognizes the murder weapon as Sebastian's gun. Mercer sends for Michonne to get Carl. Two days later Mercer or one of his guards finds and arrests Sebastian for the assassination of Rick Grimes. Later, Carl is summoned by Pamela, who informs him that his father's killer has been caught, and that it's her son, Sebastian. Pamela says that she wanted to hear Carl's thoughts on the matter and make sure he wouldn't take justice into his own hands. Carl stoically asks if Sebastian will be punished, prompting Pamela to burst into tears. She tells him that, even though Sebastian is her son and she loves him, he will spend the rest of his life behind bars for his crime. Satisfied with this answer, Carl offers his condolences to Pamela before leaving. Michonne does the same, but warns Pamela against trying to take the reins once more, as Mercer looks on. The next day, Carl prepares to take his father's body back to Alexandria, so he could be buried alongside Andrea. He is greeted by Michonne, who is also going. Carl tells her that she doesn't need to accompany him and that he can make it on his own, which Michonne acknowledges, but tells him that he shouldn't have to. Maggie then arrives and asks Carl to wait for an hour, since there are people from Alexandria who also wanted to pay their respects. Carl asks who wants to come. An hour later a large group of people gather to escort Rick's body to Alexandria, consisting not only of Alexandrians and Hilltopers, but many Commonwealth residents as well, including Mercer. In the following twenty years, it is shown that Mercer decided to stay within the Commonwealth and eventually retired from serving within the Commonwealth army. He eventually developed a limp and began walking with a cane. In addition, Mercer rekindles his relationship with Juanita and is frequently seen walking with her with their dog. Killed Victims This list shows the victims Mercer has killed: *Numerous counts of zombies and unnamed people Relationships Sebastian Milton Mercer is Sebastian's personal bodyguard and the two have a very poor relationship. Sebastian is verbally abusive to Mercer, despite Mercer saving him from numerous counts of walkers which resulted in him ruining Sebastian's date with Kayla. Mercer likewise hates Sebastian strongly, but holds his tongue when around him. Sebastian looks down on Mercer, and possibly views him as expendable. Pamela Milton Pamela and Mercer have a complicated relationship. While Mercer is seemingly loyal to her and would do anything to protect her, he also hides a searing resentment for her as a leader, as she looks down on him and seems to see him as more of a tool than a person. After spending some time with Rick, Mercer seemingly abandons any loyalties he might have had to Pamela and endorses Rick as the potential new leader of the Commonwealth. In Issue 187, Mercer loses all respect for Pamela and goes as far as trying to rally the Commonwealth Military to overthrow her. When confronted by Pamela about his actions, Mercer lists all of the times he risked his life for Pamela and how she didn't care. He calls Pamela a "wannabe queen", and seems disgusted by her leadership. George Mercer and George have a good relationship and often confide in each other. They go as far as conspire to overthrow Governor Milton, though they claim they are just blowing off steam when doing so. When Mercer tries to rally the soldiers to overthrow the governor, however, George refuses to join him, though he is visibly ashamed of doing so. George ultimately does join the rebellion, and helps Mercer escape from jail, explaining that, back in the locker room, he didn't know which soldiers were loyal to them. Juanita Sanchez Mercer and Princess are on good terms. She is romantically attracted to Mercer, when he saves her from a herd of walkers she kisses him. Later on, after arriving at the Commonwealth, Juanita and Mercer have sex. Their conversation afterwards shows they feel something for each other. Mercer mentions that he really likes listening to Juanita talk and that it's definitely not a casual thing. They kiss and Juanita says that her life is getting better every day now, to which Mercer smiles happily in response. Rick Grimes Mercer was initially hesitant around Rick, but did confide in him that he was glad he now has an actual purpose in life after the apocalypse occurred. During the trips between the eastern communities and back to the Commonwealth, Mercer notices Rick harbors different views of leadership than Pamela and does not hold to the same views of social hierarchy as her. Watching him take the time to help out with others causes Mercer to change his views on him and begins to see him as a possible replacement for Pamela as leader of the Commonwealth. Mercer later overhears Rick and Dwight interacting when the latter is in a holding cell and hearing Rick's comments confirm to Mercer that he has the qualities the Commonwealth should have as a leader; he later tells Rick of this (even offering to overthrow Pamela), but is dismayed that Rick does not immediately share his point of view. Laura Though Mercer was hesitant to trust Laura at first, the two quickly bonded over their hatred of the Commonwealth regime. Together, they formed the Commonwealth Resistance. Laura goes as far as breaking Mercer out of jail, so they could stage a coup together. Lance Hornsby Mercer and Lance were shown to have a good relationship, but it's currently strained due to Lance walking in on Mercer trying to rally the Commonwealth Military to overthrow the Governor, mentioning that Pamela will be very disappointed in him. Later on, when Mercer's guards arrest Lance, he is very hostile towards Mercer, showing that their relationship has completely deteriorated. Appearances Trivia * Mercer is the third known survivor who was a member of the military before the apocalypse occurred, along with Abraham Ford and Dwight. Category:The Commonwealth Category:Alive Category:Leaders Category:Walking Dead Characters Category:Comic Characters Category:Comics Category:Military Category:Main Characters